Friends?
by little-n-lost
Summary: Can the friendship of the famous duo outstand anything?
1. The Meeting

Disclaimer: I wish I had thought up the brilliant characters of the Lion King, but I did not. I'm just borrowing them from good 'ol Disney.  
  
Friends?  
  
He was lured from his sleep when a shard of sunlight penetrated painfully through his eyelids. Timon groaned and rolled away, trying to avoid the light, but it was no use—the sun was up. Lifting heavy eyelids, he was greeted by the sight of Pumbaa's gaping mouth a small three inches from his face and he pulled back quickly in surprise. He wrinkled his nose, frowning at the pig that kept on sleeping away without a care in the world and was tempted to wake him up as well. It wasn't fair he had to suffer the wrath of the morning alone while he just kept on snoozing. But instead of waking him, he turned and slid from the warthog's belly to land gracefully on his feet.  
  
With both paws on his back, he pushed it forward and sighed when it gave a satisfying pop. Good to go, he set off to find some breakfast, his chops already watering.  
  
He was leaning down beside a log when he heard it, a soft snorting sound coming from behind him. He peered curiously over his shoulder to the thick brush behind him, the green leaves swaying softly in the morning breeze. Arching one dark eyebrow, Timon's brown eyes searched the area for any sign of trouble, but finally decided that it was nothing worth losing his breakfast over and continued with what he was doing.  
  
But, it was a mistake...  
  
He was completely unprepared when something came barreling out of the bushes, blind siding him and sending him tumbling across the dirt. He came to a stop on his stomach, dazed and dizzy from the attack. Lifting his head up from the ground, he forced his spinning vision to still to take the first glimpse of his assailant. Above him was a large snout and protruding tusks coursing out from the sides of it. And as Timon raised his eyes further, he found a pair of round, gray eyes staring down at him angrily.  
  
"Get off my land, rat," it snarled, and Timon started in surprise to find that it was a girl...  
  
He laughed nervously and raised himself up on his arms. "No need to get hostile."  
  
She snorted in his face, ruffling his fur, and he cringed in fear.  
  
Oh yeah, he was in trouble. 


	2. He's a Goner

"I said, get off my land!" she repeated, rearing up.  
  
Timon cowered under his arms and prepared himself to get stomped on, but was surprised when her back hooves came down on the ground with a loud thud just millimeters from his body. Peering out from his arms, he gazed up at the snorting warthog, who was still watching him angrily.  
  
"Well?" she seethed. "Get off!"  
  
"Heh," he laughed nervously, sitting up. He gave her his best winning smile, pushing his luck with his charm. "We all do respect, Madame, but this isn't just your land."  
  
Her gray eyes narrowed and Timon's smile immediately dropped. He leaned back when she lowered her snout down to his eyelevel, shooting her intense gaze straight through him. Through tightly clenched teeth, she said very slowly, "It is now. So get off!" And with that rammed him with her snout and tusks, sending him rolling across the dirt once again.  
  
His back hit a tree with a loud 'oof' and he shook his head to clear it, looking up just in time to see her advance toward him. He gasped, raised his nose and shouted, "Pumbaa!"  
  
But his voice echoed uselessly through the air as she stopped in front of him, firmly planting her tusks on either side of him on the tree. Again, his mouth split into a desperate smile and he shrank back against the bark as tightly as possible. He was cornered and in trouble, while his best friend slept the moment away.  
  
"Please don't hurt me," Timon begged. "I'm really not worth it."  
  
"Timon?" he heard someone call a distance away, and his heart sank with immense relief.  
  
Timon's eyes darted from the brush around them to the eyes that were staring at him so heatedly, wondering if she would allow him to answer his friend's call. She just dared him with a look.  
  
"Timon? Where are ya?" Pumbaa called.  
  
His clumsy friend could be heard through the leaves off to their right, coming towards them, and the female warthog immediately pulled back from the trembling meerkat to face the new intrudor. Timon watched carefully as her once hostile face dropped when Pumbaa broke free from the bushes, their eyes meeting.  
  
"Hello," Pumbaa said slowly.  
  
"Pumbaa!" Timon barked, pushing off from the tree and scrambling over to his friend. "Thank goodness you're here!" Timon turned and pointed at the stranger, beginning to explain, "She was going to--"  
  
But, his friend cut him off. "What's your name, er... miss?"  
  
Timon's jaw dropped when the female warthog twisted a leg around the other and batted her eyes. She took a step towards him and replied in a voice smooth like silk. "Nuni."  
  
"Hello, I'm Pumbaa!" he said with all the enthusiasm in the world.  
  
Timon looked up at his friend, realizing he was suddenly going goo-goo eyes over someone that had just attacked him moments ago. Bunching his brow, he tossed his arms over his chest and frowned deeply at the scene unfolding in front of him.  
  
"Are you lost, Nuni?" Pumbaa asked, closing the gap between them slowly.  
  
"Yes," she replied and gave a little sniff for good measure.  
  
Timon's jaw dropped again, before he exclaimed, "No you aren't!" He scrambled up to Pumbaa's side and looked up at him desperately. "Pumbaa, she attacked me! She said I was on her land!"  
  
"Timon, where are your manners?" Pumbaa chided, his eyes remaining on the girl. "Nuni needs our help."  
  
Timon looked up at his friend from under his furrowed brow, unable to believe what was happening. As he watched the exchange of flirting between his friend and that girl, he realized something was up... 


	3. It starts

"You think you know a guy," Timon mumbled under his breath.  
  
He watched helplessly as his best friend fell more and more in love with a warthog Timon thought was all wrong for him. And the more Pumbaa spent time with that girl, the less he spent with Timon. Timon felt neglected, deserted—completely tossed out of the picture.  
  
In the back of his mind, he knew that something like this couldn't last very long for Pumbaa. He had never had a girlfriend, therefore he doesn't know what to do. It was only a matter of time before he screwed up, right?  
  
Right?  
  
Timon watched from the sidelines as his best friend changed before his eyes. He didn't sleep as much or eat as much. He focused all his energy on making her happy. She would tell him to jump, Pumbaa would ask 'off what?' It was a downward spiral of love, and Timon was getting sick of it.  
  
One morning, after waking up alone, Timon wondered over to the waterhole. He leaned down, blinked at his saddened reflection, before cupping a paw full of water and sipping at it.  
  
He suddenly heard voices and he quirked his ears. Turning on his heel, he quietly walked to the edge of the brush and peered in, his eyes widening to see Nuni. But she wasn't alone...  
  
"He's all over me like flies on dung," she was saying. "He'd do anything for me."  
  
Timon's eyes flickered from her to her company, his eyes following the sight of a large boned leopard as he stalked back and forth impatiently.  
  
"What does this have to do with me?" the cat growled.  
  
"The only thing I see as a problem is his little friend," she said. "Pumbaa talks about him way too much and he is always saying he should spend more time with him."  
  
"So, what do you want me to do, Nuni?" the leopard asked.  
  
Her only response was a smile, and Timon gulped in fear. 


	4. Alone

Timon gritted his teeth, trying to understand the situation. Why was she so desperate to have Pumbaa all to herself? What was her motive behind all this?  
  
There was only one person left to talk to, and Timon knew it was not going to be easy. He just feared that his best friend would believe him over some batting eyelashes.  
  
He turned away from the scene, trying to be quiet, but being stealthy wasn't his strong suit. His foot hit a twig and the snap echoed resoundingly through the jungle. He hissed, turned his head over his shoulder and watched as both heads jerked in his direction.  
  
"Oops," Timon whispered.  
  
The leopard took off, hurdling through the brush straight towards him. Timon's eyes widened as he watched the cat come down on him, suddenly caught between two very large paws.  
  
"What do we have here?" Nuni asked, coming up beside them. She quirked an eyebrow down at the meerkat, looking very smug. "A spy?"  
  
Timon gasped when the leopard pressed his paw on his chest, crushing him to the dirt. He clawed helplessly at his leg, but the big cat wouldn't give. "What do you want with Pumbaa?" Timon rasped.  
  
Nuni's face changed suddenly and she gave the big cat a glare. "Let him up," she ordered.  
  
The leopard's brow furrowed in confusion, but didn't say anything as he moved away. Timon sat up, coughing, and put a hand to his abused chest. Shakily, he looked up at the girl warthog.  
  
"You've got it all wrong," she said, shaking her head. "I really like Pumbaa. I would never do anything to hurt him."  
  
Timon's eyes narrowed. "You are a liar!" the meerkat bravely snarled. "You two were just conniving something! You want Pumbaa all to yourself!"  
  
Nuni blinked at him, her expression revealing her surprise. "What? You don't think anyone would like Pumbaa for who he is? That they have to have a plan behind it?"  
  
"Yes!" Timon barked. His eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head, "Wait, I mean no. I mean... Pumbaa... well, he isn't exactly girl material."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Timon looked between the warthog and the leopard, trying to read what they were thinking. He looked to Nuni, his face grim, as he replied, "I don't think you like Pumbaa. I think you want something else... I mean, he's got no manners, he is always eating, and he got the termite's share in the brain department..."  
  
"Funny that you think that, Timon," said a new voice.  
  
Timon gasped and turned his head, noticing Pumbaa for the first time. He jumped to his feet, holding out his arms towards his friend. "Pumbaa! Thank god you're—"  
  
"You really think that?"  
  
Timon faltered, dropping his arms at his sides when he realized the expression on Pumbaa's face. He looked hurt. "Pumbaa, I—"  
  
"You don't think I could find happiness," Pumbaa stated.  
  
Timon shook his head. "No, no that's not it..."  
  
"You don't think I'm good enough."  
  
"Pumbaa, listen to—"  
  
"Go away, Timon," Pumbaa huffed, turning his head away.  
  
Timon's face slowly dropped, not believing what he had just heard. He swallowed, feeling the well of sorrow start to choke him. He was about to move when his face hardened in determination and he turned to point at the leopard. "Look! She was going to have him hurt me! So she could have you to herself."  
  
Pumbaa looked up at the leopard, his face not looking surprised at all. Nuni was quick to explain, "That's Bazil. He's a friend of mine. Pumbaa has met him already."  
  
Timon's expression dropped once again, suddenly second guessing everything he had thought moments ago. "Why did you want to get rid of me?" Timon asked softly, looking up at Nuni.  
  
Nuni gave Pumbaa a quick look, before she turned back to Timon. "Well, Pumbaa and I were thinking about, well, making a home for ourselves. We didn't think you'd understand."  
  
Timon's eyes widened and he took a step back in hurt. "Oh."  
  
"You thought it was time for you to move on," Nuni added.  
  
Timon looked from her to Pumbaa, who was staring at him with a hardened expression. He shuddered at the sight of it, realizing it was probably the first time his friend had looked at him like that—and really meant it. "Is this true, Pumbaa?" He didn't respond. He just turned his snout away, staring at the ground.  
  
"Pumbaa... you wouldn't do that to me... would you?" Timon stammered, taking another step toward him. "After everything?"  
  
Pumbaa remained staring at the dirt, avoiding the meerkat's saddened eyes. After a cruel moment of silence, he turned and walked away.  
  
Timon sucked in a breath, feeling like the world was crumbling around him. It couldn't be the end of it, it just couldn't. And with that thought, took off after him.  
  
Bazil looked at Nuni, but she just shook her head.  
  
"Pumbaa!" Timon called, struggling to keep up with his friend's long gait. "Pumbaa, please wait for me!"  
  
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now, Timon," Pumbaa hissed.  
  
"Please," Timon begged, scrambling through his legs and stopping in front of him. He held out his arms, signaling him to halt. "Please, just listen!"  
  
Pumbaa lowered his snout to Timon's eye level, piercing him with a shuddering glare. "What Nuni told me about you was true. You wouldn't understand! And you wouldn't be happy for me. You are just a selfish meerkat. You don't want me to leave you because then you would be alone!"  
  
Timon dropped his arms, staring at his friend in astonishment. His face twisted with sadness. "It is true. I am scared to be alone." Pumbaa nodded and turned to leave, but Timon got in front of him again, adding, "But, mainly I'm afraid to be without YOU. You're my best friend, Pumbaa..."  
  
"Oh really?" the pig snarled.  
  
Timon forced a smile, climbing onto his snout and looking him right in the eye. "Pumbaa, c'mon... think about what you're doing..."  
  
Pumbaa jerked his head to the side, causing Timon to tumble onto the ground with a loud thud. Lifting his head up from the ground, Timon blinked a few times to clear the ringing in his ears only to realize Pumbaa was walking away from him again. Hurt, physically and emotionally, Timon rose to his shaky legs and watched him walk away. He puffed out his chest and yelled, "Fine! Go then! Live happily-ever-after with her!"  
  
Pumbaa shot a look over his shoulder, his face looking dejected.  
  
Timon frowned, shaking his head. "It won't last and you know it!" Pumbaa flinched, as if he had been hit, and Timon's stomach twisted, but he ignored it. "Just don't come crawling back to me when it does end!"  
  
Pumbaa lowered his head and walked away, leaving the meerkat standing alone in the jungle.  
  
All alone... 


	5. Mistakes

Timon perched himself on a rock near the water's edge and began rubbing his stiff foot. He must have twisted it when he had fallen off of Pumbaa's snout—correction, when he was knocked off of Pumbaa's snout.  
  
The doleful meerkat took a large sigh and leaned back, sprawling himself across the rock lazily. He stared up at the sky miserably, reflecting on the day's events and wondering when it had gone so horribly wrong.  
  
He was watching the white puffy clouds drift by when he saw two ears poke into his line of vision. Dropping his gaze, his heart sank when he saw that it was Nuni looking back at him. He quickly sat up, glaring at her.  
  
"Are you alright?" she had the gull to ask.  
  
"Yeah. Hakuna Ma-freaking-tata," Timon sighed.  
  
The right side of her mouth quirked and she sat down next to him. "Well, it must have been really hard for you."  
  
Timon grunted and slid off his perch, forgetting about his sore foot and tumbling to his hands and knees. Looking up at Nuni, he feared that she had seen it, but if she had, she didn't let on.  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were holding up," she added.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Timon inquired dryly, getting up and brushing dirt out of his fur. "Well, thanks for the concern, but I'm just peachy."  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"What do you care?" Timon snarled, jerking his nose in her direction. "You come along and set our hakuna matata on fire, and now you're rubbing my nose in it with your 'are you alright?' Give me a break."  
  
"You really can't be happy for your friend, can you?"  
  
Timon opened his mouth to snap back at her, but faltered. Turning his head away, he stared sadly at the ground. "I... I just..."  
  
"It'll be okay, Timon," Nuni replied, sounding sincere. "I'll take care of Pumbaa, I promise."  
  
Timon looked up at her, trying to read her. His face dropped, realizing he must have been wrong about her the whole time. Maybe the life of no responsibility should finally come to an end. If Pumbaa had found happiness with her, then so be it. Timon wouldn't stand in the way of that.  
  
Not trusting his voice, Timon numbly nodded his head. She gave him a small smile, before she turned and walked away. Timon watched her go and then sighed heavily, wishing he could have given his friend a more proper goodbye.  
  
"Maybe I should," Timon whispered to himself.  
  
He took a step forward and howled in pain, realizing walking was going to be too painful. Dropping to all fours, Timon began to limp towards the jungle, but something stopped him. Out of the bushes peered the eyes of a leopard and Timon gasped in surprise.  
  
"Uh... Bazil?" Timon asked nervously.  
  
The big cat stepped forward, slowly advancing toward him with an unreadable expression. "Nuni said that you were leaving."  
  
"She did?" Timon asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I was just going to say goodbye to Pumbaa."  
  
Bazil smirked a little and lowered his chin to the ground, looking directly at the small meerkat. "I'm not an expert in the area, but I think it would be wise not to talk to him right now."  
  
"I'll decide that on my own," Timon declared, trying to talk passed him, but was shoved backward by Bazil's nose. "Hey! Watch it!"  
  
"You're done talking," Bazil growled menacingly.  
  
Timon's eyes slowly grew wide, taking a small step backward in fear. "W- what do you mean?"  
  
"I mean... I can't allow you to return back to that jungle."  
  
Timon continued to back up as Bazil advanced on him, matching his step carefully. Tripping on his bad foot, Timon landed with a thump onto his rear and scooted back until his back hit the rock. "I don't understand..."  
  
"Oh, sure you do," Bazil grinned. "If you go into that jungle, you won't be coming out."  
  
Timon furrowed his brow, his mouth dropping open when the realization hit him. "I was right," he whispered. "I was right about you two..."  
  
"Oh? You think so?"  
  
"What is it that you want?"  
  
"When you got a home like this," the cat revealed, gesturing toward the lush and tropical surroundings. "You make a lot of people jealous."  
  
"You want..."  
  
"We want your hakuna matata."  
  
Timon shook his head desperately, scooting sideways across the rock to try and get away. "No, you can't have it."  
  
The leopard growled and slammed his foot down, blocking the meerkat's only escape route. "Oh, I don't think you fully understand, my little man. Once you're out of the way, Pumbaa will be easy to get rid of. Then your little hakuna matata will be all ours."  
  
Timon gave the large paw beside him a quick, hopeless look, before he turned smoldering eyes onto him. "A cat like you doesn't strike me as a sharing type—especially with a warthog."  
  
Bazil grinned all of his sharp teeth. "Well, that's a problem I will be working out later, now won't it?"  
  
Timon swallowed, shaking his head at the predator hovering above him. "You won't get away with this."  
  
Bazil dipped his head and laughed. "Oh really? And what are you going to do about it?"  
  
Reaching down, Timon scooped a handful of dirt and flung it in the leopard's direction. Bazil growled, rearing back and rubbing frantically at his eyes, giving Timon the chance to get away. But his escape wasn't quick, for his lame leg slowed him down.  
  
He was limping through the jungle, dodging and jumps fallen trees. When he could longer hear the sounds of his assailant, he ducked behind a tree and tried to quiet his haggard breathing.  
  
He was darting his eyes around madly, trying to figure out a way to warn Pumbaa, when he heard a twig snap to his right. Jerking his head in the direction, his breath caught when he spotted Bazil slowly walking through the jungle. He was going in the opposite direction and Timon felt the relief that he hadn't been spotted wash through him. He leaned his head back against the tree for a moment, closing his eyes to rest.  
  
He decided a few minutes was all he had time for and opened his eyes again, finding Bazil staring straight at him.  
  
"Hello," the cat grinned.  
  
Timon gasped and fell back against the tree. Without thinking, Timon turned and darted off, experiencing a close-call with the snap of Bazil's jaws.  
  
Timon gritted his teeth as he ran, trying to push the pain of his foot to the back of his mind. He finally broke free of the thick underbelly of the jungle and gasped in surprise to find a very large drop off in his path. Trying to skid to a stop, Timon twisted and fell to the ground, clawing at the rocks as he continued to slide toward the edge. He finally managed to get a good hold, but by the way the stones were shifting, he knew it wouldn't last long before he was to fall to a very painful death.  
  
"Well, well..." Bazil said, slowly coming up to the edge of the cliff and putting his two paws on the rocks. "Look what we have here."  
  
Timon looked up at him, his face twisted in fear.  
  
"Looks like my job just got easier," the cat grinned. 


	6. A body without a brain

Pumbaa stared wretchedly at the ground, reliving the events of the day through his head over and over again. He felt horrible. He desperately wanted to apologize, yet he was still very angry.  
  
"Who am I kidding?" Pumbaa said out loud, jumping to his feet. "Timon is my best friend!"  
  
"There you are, my Pumbaa-Wumbaa," a voice said from behind him and the warthog spun around to see Nuni approaching, batting her eyes. "Where are you off to?"  
  
"I was going to find Timon," Pumbaa answered. "I wanted to tell him I'm sorry."  
  
"Shouldn't he be the one that's sorry?" she asked, taking a seat next to him. "But, regardless—he already left."  
  
Pumbaa's face dropped. "What?"  
  
"Yeah," she said with a shrug. "I saw him by the water. He was still really mad and told me that he didn't want to talk to you ever again." Pumbaa flinched and looked away, and she nuzzled him with her nose sympathetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Just... some things have to have an end."  
  
"I never thought we would..."  
  
"Face it. He is too selfish, too self-centered to be your friend for long." She placed her hoof on top of his, giving him a smile. "You'll be better off without him."  
  
"No!" Pumbaa exclaimed. "I'm nothing without him! He's the brains and I'm the heart." Shaking his head, Pumbaa stared at the ground, suddenly angry with himself for letting things get so out of control. "What's a body without a brain?"  
  
"Pumbaa... you heard what he said. He thinks ill of you! He always has! You are going to forget all that and forgive him?"  
  
"Timon is my friend."  
  
"Friends don't desert each other! He is gone, Pumbaa! And he is not coming back."  
  
"You don't know Timon. He will come back."  
  
"No he won't!" she snarled, suddenly too angry to think. "He can't!"  
  
There was a lengthy pause as Pumbaa blinked in confusion, trying to understand what she meant. Cocking his head, he asked, "Why not?"  
  
Nuni just stared at him, realizing her mistake.  
  
Author's Note: Yes... I know, it's short... But, I didn't want to leave Timon the only one hanging... *Tips head back and laughs* Mwahahahahahaha! 


	7. Falling

Timon felt his grip slipping and he gasped at the painful strain in his hands and arms. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer. His strength was quickly diminishing, but that was the least of his problems right now. The very least...  
  
Bazil stared down at meerkat over the bridge of his nose, watching smugly as the small creature helplessly clawed at the rocks on the edge of the cliff. He considered just waiting for him to fall on his own, but knew there were would be no fun in that. He took a step down from the rock he stood at and carefully advanced down the slope to where meerkat was clinging to life, grinning excitedly.  
  
Time to end this, Bazil thought.  
  
Timon looked up, noticing the cat's movement in the corner of his eye. His breath quickened, knowing this was it... Just as he was about to close his eyes and let him come, he realized... he wasn't just fighting for himself... Pumbaa needed him.  
  
His eyes snapped up to Bazil, who was now only a foot away, and Timon's face hardened in determination. Looking around, Timon spotted a limb a short distance away from his right... if only he could get to that.  
  
"Any last words?" he heard Bazil say and Timon jerked his head up to see the big cat's paw raised up in the air.  
  
"Yeah!" Timon shouted. "Don't forget to write!" And with that, he swung his lower body up and kicked a large stone next to him. The rock gave, causing a ripple effect all the way up to where the leopard was standing. Bazil looked down, his face dropping as the very ground beneath him began to slide downward.  
  
Rocks tumbled by Timon, threatening to make him lose his grip as well. Shifting his hold, Timon turned his head and watched as the cat helpless clawed at the moving stones, before he, himself, was rolled right over the edge, giving a tremendous roar all the way down.  
  
Timon cringed when his shouts were abruptly ended and resisted the urge to look below him. He didn't have to see the mess to know that the cat was dead.  
  
Timon took a sigh of relief, but his crisis wasn't over. He felt the rocks underneath him shift as well and his eyes widened. Turning his head to the right, he looked desperately at the lone limb hanging out from the edge, knowing he had to get to it before the rocks started to tumble.  
  
Which was very soon...  
  
* * * *  
  
"He, ah... said he can't," Nuni replied carefully. "He just can't bear seeing you again. I tried to reason with him, telling him to at least say goodbye to you. But he wouldn't budge. He was still too angry."  
  
Pumbaa stared at her for a moment and was about to say something but was cut short when they heard a great roar erupt through the jungle. Pumbaa looked around as the echo slowly died away, before he turned to Nuni in question. "What was that?"  
  
Nuni looked equally confused. "Sounded like..." Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. "Bazil, ah, is... probably just out hunting."  
  
"It sounded like a distressed call."  
  
"He always sounds like that," she answered quickly.  
  
Ignoring her, Pumbaa turned and darted into the woods in the direction of the howl. Nuni took a breath and followed after him, yelling for him to stop.  
  
Pumbaa reached the clearing and skidded to a stop just before the edge of the small slope. He cringed and leaned over as far as he could, looking down the cliff to the rocky bottom below. He frowned when he spotted something half buried by gray stones, too covered up to make it out.  
  
Nuni broke through the brush as well and stopped beside him, following his gaze down to the bottom. She gasped and backed away a little, surprised by the sight.  
  
"Bazil," she whispered in shock. She shook her head, desperate to not believe it, but when the impact slowly sank in, her face hardened. "That meerkat killed my friend."  
  
Pumbaa looked at her with wide eyes. "Timon?" Pumbaa asked, turning to look around the cliff fearfully. "Is Timon here? Where's Timon?" 


	8. Now or never

"Pumbaa?" a voice asked.  
  
Pumbaa's ears quirked and he looked a little to his left, spotting a limb on the edge of the cliff. And on that tree limb was Timon, clinging to dear life.  
  
"Timon!" Pumbaa exclaimed, his face lighting.  
  
"Pumbaa, you have to get away from her!" Timon yelled frantically, shifting his sore arms around the branch. He could feel his muscles spasm in protest, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasn't the time to think about him self. "Now! She's going to get rid of you and steal our home!"  
  
Pumbaa's brow furrowed and he gave the warthog beside him a look. Nuni gazed back at him with a surprised expression, before she leaned in and whispered, "Who are you going to believe, Pumbaa? Me or the meerkat that had just killed my friend in cold blood?"  
  
"Pumbaa, he was trying to kill me!" Timon shouted back.  
  
Pumbaa looked between them, feeling like he was being pulled in two different directions. He didn't know what to do. Usually in a situation like this it was Timon that made the choices, not he...  
  
"Pumbaa!" Timon shouted, loosing his grip but managing to grab onto the limb with one hand at the last moment.  
  
Pumbaa gasped and took a step towards the slope in surprise as Timon hung by just his fingertips.  
  
"What's it going to be, Pumbaa?" Nuni asked behind him. "Him or me?"  
  
Timon gritted his teeth as he felt his grip start to slip, one by one his fingers giving. Pumbaa's breath quickened, his eyes darting back and forth from warthog to meerkat.  
  
It was now or never... now or never...  
  
Nuni huffed in frustration behind him and exclaimed, "Too slow!" and with that, rammed Pumbaa with her snout. Pumbaa howled in fear as he rolled down the short slope, the branch directly in his path.  
  
Timon gasped and watched as his friend headed straight toward him. All he could do was cringe and close his eyes. 


	9. Friends?

The heavy warthog hit the branch... hard.  
  
Timon shouted out as he lost his grip and he felt himself falling. For a fleeting moment, he knew it was all over, until he felt two hooves curl underneath him, catching him just in time. Looking up, he was met with the sight of Pumbaa, who was now wrapped around the small branch with his two back legs, his two front outstretched to catch him.  
  
"I got you, Timon," Pumbaa huffed.  
  
Despite the still seriousness of the situation, Timon smiled, relief washing through him like dam water. Pumbaa... had saved him.  
  
"Climb up," Pumbaa ordered, ducking his head a little.  
  
Timon nodded and reached up, grabbing his leg with both paws. Clenching his teeth together in agony, Timon pulled himself up with tender muscles and stood on Pumbaa's hooves. Reaching out, he grabbed his friend's tusk and hoisted himself up onto his snout. Exhausted, Timon sprawled himself across it and panted softly.  
  
"Timon," Pumbaa whispered, twisted his head around. "Nuni... she's gone."  
  
Timon rose his head up and looked up at the edge of the cliff, realizing indeed, she was no where to be seen. Weakly, Timon dropped his head back down and gave a shuddering sigh. "Probably enjoying our hakuna matata right now."  
  
"You can't give up that easily, Timon," Pumbaa said, moving his head so Timon rocked back and forth gently. "You're not one to give up."  
  
"Oh, face it Pumbaa," Timon sighed, "You and I... we aren't cut out for a life of hakuna matata forever. Someone is bound to come and take it."  
  
"Together, we could..."  
  
"Together?" Timon asked sharply, raising his head to look directly into his eyes.  
  
Pumbaa stared back at him and frowned. A long moment of silence stretched out, each dwelling on the moment. Slowly, Timon lowered his head back down and closed his eyes, mumbling, "Wake me when its over."  
  
Pumbaa darted his eyes around, taking in the hopelessness of the situation, before he replied, "I'm sorry, Timon, for not believing you."  
  
Timon peeled his eyes open and looked up at the warthog sadly. "And I'm sorry for what I said about you."  
  
"I suppose what hurt the most," Pumbaa sighed, "Was that all of it was true."  
  
Timon stared at him, frowning, wishing he knew what to say to make his pain lessen. But, he didn't need to, for the warthog had already moved on.  
  
"Look Timon, the sun is setting!"  
  
Turning his head, Timon realized wryly that they had a perfect view of the sun slowly dipping behind the land. The right side of his mouth quirked, before he caught himself and he sighed miserably. "Well, get a good look, Pumbaa. That may be the last sunset we ever see."  
  
"If it is, I'm glad I'm sharing it with you, Timon."  
  
Blinking, Timon turned his head back around to look at the warthog, his heart welling with emotion. Slowly, his mouth rose into a smile and he whispered, "Me too."  
  
"Friends?"  
  
"Always and always, ya big lug."  
  
"I promise to always believe you," Pumbaa continued.  
  
Timon smiled a little and gave a shrug, saying carefully, "And I promise that if you do meet a non-homicidal girl, I'll be happy for you."  
  
"Great!" Pumbaa exclaimed. "Now, let's get off this cliff!"  
  
Timon quirked an eyebrow, staring at his enthusiastic friend doubtfully. "Really? And how do you propose we do that?"  
  
"I will toss you up there, and then you can grab a vine and throw it down to me."  
  
Timon's face split into a large smile. "Good idea!" His face soured quickly, however, and he asked, "What if Nuni is still up there?"  
  
"Um... what other options do we have?"  
  
"Good point," he said, struggling to stand up. "Alright, Pumbaa... I guess... let's try it."  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
"No time to be ready," Timon gulped. "Just do it!" 


	10. Don't

Timon slid across the flat ground on his stomach, his face grimacing in pain. Slowly lifting his head up, he was elated to realize that his friend's attempt was successful and he was now on safe ground. Climbing to his feet with some difficulty, Timon leaned over the edge of the cliff and gave Pumbaa a quick smile.  
  
"I'm coming for ya, buddy!" Timon shouted down at him, before spinning on his heel in search of a vine.  
  
Timon was working on loosening one from a tree a few feet away when he felt a presence behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he slowly turned his head. Gasping in surprise at what he saw, Timon whipped completely around and pressed his back against the tree.  
  
Nuni smiled at him. "Hello rat."  
  
"Nuni..."  
  
She craned her head to the side, gazing at the meerkat menacingly. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Timon's eyes narrowed and he glared at the female warthog heatedly. "I'm saving my best friend, who you aren't going to take away from me anymore!"  
  
Nuni grinned and slowly backed up toward the cliff, shooting the distressed Pumbaa below a quick look. "I might not be able to break your friendship, but there are other ways I can take him away."  
  
Timon's eyes widened as he watched her raise her hoof up and place it on a large rock. Raising his eyes up to her face, he desperately shook his head. "Don't."  
  
She looked at him in mock surprise. "Don't?" she repeated. Her face soured as she added, "And what if I do?" 


	11. Genuine

In horror, Timon watched as the rock shifted under her foot and went tumbling down the slope straight for his friend. "No!" the meerkat exclaimed, lunging toward the evil warthog in alarm, pulling the vine with him.  
  
Nuni's gleeful face slowly dropped to horror as well when the very earth fell out from underneath her. She wasn't aware she had been so close to the edge and now there was nothing stopping her as she slid down the slope herself.  
  
Timon leaned over the edge, his wide eyes watching terror-stricken as rocks pelted his friend and causing his balance to hobble. Pumbaa managed to keep his position on the limb through the shower of stones, but he couldn't pull through Nuni's weight landing on him. He was knocked from his perch and both warthogs fell, straight for the rocks below.  
  
"Pumbaa!" Timon shouted.  
  
Pumbaa felt the air wheezing by him, his ears flapping in the wind. He kicked his legs uselessly, knowing there wasn't anything between him and the ground that could save him.  
  
Until... he saw the vine drop down.  
  
Instinctively, he chomped at it, catching himself by his teeth and jerking his fall painfully to a stop. Pumbaa grunted and dangled a little bit, looking down to realize the ground was only a small foot away.  
  
It had been cut very close.  
  
Looking up, he saw Timon leaning over the edge, and when the small meerkat noticed he was safe, he threw his arms up and cheered.  
  
Letting go, Pumbaa fell to his hooves and immediately turned his head away from the scene. He couldn't bear the sight of the two very still bodies and quickly trotted over to the grassy, steep path that was on the far side that wound up the cliff.  
  
He was panting by time he made it to the top, but wasn't upset when the last of his breath was taken by Timon tackling him into a squeezing hug.  
  
"Oh, you're alive!" Timon exclaimed joyfully. He grinned ear to ear and took a step back, allowing his friend to stand up.  
  
Instead of replying, Pumbaa turned and leaned over the edge of the cliff, his face deepened with a frown. Timon, reading the expression, saddened up as well.  
  
"I'm sorry, buddy," Timon whispered.  
  
"Will we ever find something genuine, Timon?"  
  
The meerkat blinked at the question, slightly surprised by it. Sighing, Timon took a step towards his friend and patted his leg comfortingly. "I'm not sure about the female category, but I know what we have is genuine. We have a friendship that no one can beat."  
  
Pulling his eyes away from the gruesome scene, Pumbaa smiled a little at the meerkat beside him. "You're right, Timon."  
  
"Pssh, what are you talking about? I'm always right," Timon said playfully, flashing a grin. "C'mon, Pumbaa. There's nothing here for us."  
  
"Right behind ya," Pumbaa announced, giving the cliff one last look before following after his friend.  
  
It was hakuna matata once again.  
  
The End.  
  
Thanks guys for the AWESOME feedback! I hope to write another one soon! 


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